The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1887-07-22

PROHIBITION IN KANSAS
0oveenor Martha Writes Caustie letter -
tie Aguat - the Associated Prsss r..
fating Certain lGalieioas Charges.
4 dispatch having been sens out from St
Joseph BY the Associased Press in effect
that Atchlson WAS on the verge Of bank
ruptcy, that the police force had been dis
banded, that the services Of Aremen had
been dispensed with and that the gas and
electric lights had been shut OF for the
want Of funds, Governor Martin recently
addressed . Communication to the agent OF
the Associated Press ut Chicago, In which
he says: This dispatch was utilized BY
the Associated Press, and thus published
al OveE the country. As . result I have
received many letter. from different SEQ
tons, making inquiries - to the truth Of
the statement It embodied, and have seen
it, alleged facts commented o. in dozens OF
newspapers, - evidence that the abolition
Of saloons has reduced . prosperous city In
Kansas to the verge of bankruptcy. Similar
letters have been received BY the mayor
Of Atchisou, and by many other
cities Of Kansas. The dispatch
referred to was prompted by two
motives. It was 6rst sent from . town
in Missouri for the purpose Of injurinR .
rival city in Kansas; and second, it was
inspired by the whisky interest and to
create the Impression that an efficient city
government could not be maintained with
out the revenue derived from saloon IL
censes. The city Of Atchison has been for
many Year, one Of the most important rail-
road and commercial centers Of Kansas.
1t has . population Of about 1900 people.
II the whisky interest could create
the impression that Atchison had been
materially injured because the saloons
had been driven out Of IL, Q
serious blow would be dealt the Temperance
cause. The Associated Press, In giving
this false special such wide publicity, Was
made the unconscious agent OF . malicious
slanderer whose purposes were IS un-
worthy - his statements were unfounded.
deem it my duty to correct the false i'm
pressions thus created, and respectfully ask
that this letter be given Is wide publica-
tion ~ the dispatch which prompted It."
The Governor then gives brief his tory
Of the war on saloons in Atchison, the con-
tinued prosperity and growth Of the city
since the saloons were closed, the public
works and street improvements now being
pushed forward, and closes by giving .
brief review Of prohibition in Kansas, as
follows:
The whisky interests predicted that the aboli
ton of saloons In Kansas would inju,iously
affect the material prosperity Of the State, and
falsehcods intended to confirm this view are
constantly invented and circulated in every
section OF the country, and especially in States
where movements are being made to Danish the
saloons.
1 am receiving letters daily from different
States making inquiries concerning the effects
and results of our temperance laws on the
financial, commercial and other material inter
ests of our State, and these letters all indicate
in every section Of the country. Permit me.
therefore. to give you the real facts. The Pro
hibition amendment to our constitution was
adopted in the autumn Of 1880, and the first
avs to enforce it went into effect in May,
1881 The war to Danish the saloons
was, for some years, only partially sue
cessful. The amendment had been adopt
ed by q very meager majority and public
sentiment in all our larger cities was over
saloons were open in fusy thirty of the larger
cities of Kansas, including Topeka, the capital
of the State. But steadily and surely the
public sentiment against them spread and in
tensified. The small majority that had voted
for the amendment was reinforced. first by
those law-respecting citizens who are always
willing to subordinate their personal opinions
to the majesty OF the law; and. second, by ar
equally large number who. observing the practi
nj S,If fbo half IF
different cities and towns, became convinced
that Kansas would be a more prosperous
happy and in all respects better community
of people il it had not an open saloon within its
borders. So the sentiment OF Kansas against
the liquor traffic has grown and strengthened
until to-day very much doubt whether Of its
3O0 O male voters, more than 1900 would. il
they could, Invite back and reinstate the saloon
One argument Of the whisky interest, viz.
that saloons promote the prosperity and growth
OF communities. has been answered in Kansas
by the convincing logic of facts. In 1880 the
population of this State, as shown by the cen
sus. was gu. 096; in March, 1886, Is shown by tine
State census, it was l,+l6, s3S; and it is nov
fully I,6O.OOo In 1870 Kansas had only ai04
miles ofrailway within her borders on the first
of March last the State Board Of Railroad As
SCISSORS reported 6,sS miles for taxation. and
from 60 to so miles will be adde to this aggre
assessed value of all the real and personal prop
erty of the State aggregated only sl60,Sel,.
GO; on Marcn 1, 1851, the total wss 3ys1, $50,
363: and for the present fiscal year the "
turns thus far received Indicate . total OF
W.M0,0O. In 1880 there were 5.3i5 school
houses. ASIA churches and 241 newspapers il
Kansas. There are now fully 9.5N school
houses, $500 churches and 40 newspapers. In
1850 only fifty five towns and cities had popula
80 = a sv, &b,v, ~
towns have each over 1000 Inhabitants, fully :
have over 500 and four have each over 2O,Oo0
In 1880 only SIS 900 acres were planted in crops
this year the area planted exceeds 1600O,0U
acres In 1880 the value OF the farm products
Of Kansas was only 81, SCI 600; for 1886 theiI
value was over e264, 10000. For the fiscal yeai
1880, the percentage Of State taxation was 81
mills. for the present fiscal year the total per
centage levied for al State purposes Is only ~
mills.
During the past two years and half have
organized seventeen counties in the western
section Of the State, and census takers have
been appointed for four other counties, leavins
only two counties remaining to be organized
The cities and towns OF Kansas with hardly any
exception have kept pace in growth and pros
perity with this marvellous development of the
State Many Of them have doubled their popu.
ation during the past year, and it is q remarka
bic fact that several cities and towns languishec
Or stood still until they abolished their saloons,
and from that date to the present time Their
growth and prosperity has eQualed and in some
instances surpassed that Of other places with
EQUAL natural advantages
Summing up the facts Of the census oonfute
md confound those who assert that the materi
II prosperity OF any community is promoted b
the presence Of saloons. So far IS Kansas and
Ill her cities and towns are concerned the re
1erse Of this assertion is true. The most won |
ierful era Of prosperity, Of material, moral and
Development Of growth in country, |
titles and towns ever witnessed on the Amer. !
an continent has been Illustrated in Kansas |